American star Sammy Halbert raced to his second consecutive win of the 2024 FIM Flat Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo, Blackburst and HKC Koopmann and in the process doubled his series lead following a dramatic night of action at round three in King’s Lynn, Great Britain.
The thirty-six-year-old from just south of Seattle in the Pacific Northwest picked up where he left off last time out last month in Meissen in Germany to make it back-to-back victories which, when combined with his third-placed finish at the series opener at Boves-Cuneo in Italy, gives him an eight-point advantage at the halfway point of the season.
Halbert kicked his evening off in the Adrian Flux Arena with victory in his opening Heat ahead of defending champion Ervin Krajčovič (KTM) from the Czech Republic and Britain’s Tim Neave (Yamaha) – who sat third and fourth in the points at the start of the day – after Italy’s Kevin Corradetti (GASGAS) and two-time champion Lasse Kurvinen (KTM) from Finland both won their first Heats.
Corradetti, runner-up behind Kurvinen in 2021, then moved into an uncontested lead after winning his second Heat from Halbert while Krajčovič and Neave both added a victory to their scoresheets as the series’ front-runners began to push for position to secure a good gate pick among the ten automatic qualifiers following the four blocks of Heats.
A third consecutive victory for Corradetti ensured he maintained his advantage at the front, but further wins for Halbert – over the Czech Republic’s Ondřej Svědík (Yamaha) and British wild card Gary Birtwistle – and Neave, who defeated Krajčovič, meant just two points separated first and fourth heading into the final block of racing.
Corradetti lost his lead and the all-important first gate pick for the Grand Final when he trailed home fifth in his fourth Heat, but Halbert did not falter and his third Heat victory from four starts put him through to the main race of the programme in pole ahead of Krajčovič and Neave.
Corradetti, chasing his first GP win since October 2021, still comfortably made the cut and was joined by Britain’s Jack Bell (Honda) who earned his first Grand Final appearance of the season alongside Svědík, Kurvinen and the Spanish pairing of former champion Gerard Bailo (Zaeta) and Eric Reverte (Fantic) with victory in his final Heat earning Italy’s Matteo Boncinelli (Beta) the last automatic qualifying position.
Out of the riders finishing between eleventh and twentieth who went through to the Last Chance Heat, Birtwistle stunned the regular series riders by taking victory ahead of Germany’s experienced Markus Jell (KTM) to confirm the twelve-rider line-up for the Grand Final.
With the evening’s points reset to zero, Halbert converted his pole position to a victory that has helped to strengthen his grip on the 2024 championship chase, but Krajčovič will not let his title go without a fight and his second consecutive runner-up finish behind the American ensured he remains firmly in contention as Neave’s second podium of the year moved him up a position to third a further seven points off the leader’s pace.
Winner of the opening round, Kurvinen was a disappointed eleventh in the Grand Final which drops him from second to fourth in the points with Corradetti jumping from seventh to fifth following his fourth-placed finish tonight.
The 2024 FIM Flat Track World Championship now travels to Morizes in France for round four on Saturday 7 September. For more information click here.
Results
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Race Report by FIM Flat Track – Images by Jesper Veldhuizen
